Museum of the Pacific War

I recently had a chance to go back to the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas (hometown of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz). The museum is well worth the visit.

There's plenty of hardware on display--American, British, and Japanese.

In addition to land, sea & air vehicles and artillery, the facility displays weapons, uniforms, and equipment from the Pacific theater of World War II.

More importantly, the historical displays are detailed, and there are plenty of them. In particular, I found the background on the prewar interactions between the West, Japan, and China to be very interesting.

The runup to hostilities is well documented, and there are videos and interactive displays throughout the museum. There's even a Japanese mini-sub.

The museum documents all aspects of the war in the Pacific; while U.S. viewpoints are most numerous, the museum acknowledges the contributions of allies as well as the perspective of the Japanese.

There's a lot to see--you should plan on taking all day, or parts of two days, to make sure you absorb everything.

Also of interest to the gamer in me, a couple of models and dioramas.

I'm lucky that Fredericksburg is just a couple hours' drive from home. The museum is world-class.

If you ever have a chance to visit the National Museum of the Pacific War, I highly recommend it.